From Trash to Treasure
by isabellsah cullen
Summary: The best things in life can emerge from the worst situations. Follow Edward and Bella as they make a journey into their trashy pasts and find a little more than they were hoping for. This was my entry for the Trailer Trash Cullen One-Shot Contest.


**Trailer Trash Cullen One-Shot Contest**

**Title: **** From Trash to Treasure**

**Pen name:**** isabellsahcullen**

**Characters:**** Edward and Bella are exposed to a trailer trash version of Emmett and Rosalie.**

**Disclaimer:****I do not own Twilight; all of the respective characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

**Warnings:**** Some Violence – physical abuse. Drug and Alcohol abuse mentioned. Some sexual scenes. Explicit language.**

**Summary****: The best things in life can emerge from the worst situations. Follow Edward and Bella as they make a journey into their trashy pasts and find a little more than they were hoping for.**

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**BPOV**

"Edward, I don't think this is a good idea," I whispered, gripping his arm tightly as he led us through the sea of rusting metal, bare earth and patches of tall grass. I cringed when I noticed the fence surrounding many of the trailers was topped with coils of barbed wire.

"Of course this is. You wanted to see where I grew up. This is it. It may not be as glamorous as that little one and a half bedroom apartment on fifth that you shared with your parents growing up, but it was still my home," he pointed out, smiling down at me sweetly.

"I'm sorry. I know. We've both come so far," I murmured, glancing around the 'neighborhood' where Edward experienced his formative years. It physically hurt me to think of him as a little boy, running around through the piles of garbage, metal and burnt out couches. I was amazed he hadn't contracted tetanus. Not that my childhood had been much better. I was so proud of him for rising above his lot in life to become one of the most successful businessmen in America. It just goes to show that if there's a will, there is a way.

"That's the whole point of this exercise, my Bella. We need to make sure we never forget where we came from. We want to build a happy life together; we need to ensure that our children never have to endure the childhood we did," he emphasized softly, touching my chin, raising it so I was gazing at him, and not at our surroundings.

"I don't think we'll be that silly," I protested, biting my bottom lip. We'd certainly put away enough money in an account for three children to attend college. We also had another account with enough money for us to start over if worst came to worst. Edward was most certainly prepared. He would never allow anything to happen to us or our family. This idea of his had only arisen once we'd both moved back to Chicago a year ago, to be closer to his parents. It wasn't until after we'd married that he'd resurfaced the thought of visiting each other's childhood homes.

"I hope not. But just take a look at what this recession has done to thousands of previously successful middle class families. Some are now living in their cars, or on the streets. Anything can happen, love. I just don't want it to happen to _us_."

"Yeah," I nodded, agreeing with him. We'd watched a documentary on television just last week on how so many families were now suffering and were resorting to living in trailer parks while thousands upon thousands of beautiful homes lay empty and useless, some even being torn down. It had been that documentary that prompted our visits this week.

"Hey, Bella, my love. I understand how hard this is for you. This is just as hard for me too. It took me so long get you to agree to marry me; even longer to persuade you it was the right time to start a family. I don't want anything short of forever with you. I want to have more children with you. I want us to spoil our grandchildren together. I want to grow old with you. I believe this is what we need to do to continue to move forward. You agreed. We visited your childhood home; I held you while you cried and I learned so much about you in that short visit. You shared so many memories with me. While most of them weren't pleasant it still provided insight for me on who you are and the how and why you became who you were," Edward said tenderly.

"I understand all that Edward. I really do. I want those things for us as well. I also want you to share your memories with me. But this is a little different. Your sister and her husband live in that trailer. She hasn't spoken to you since you went to college. They didn't come to our wedding. We didn't attend theirs. I only found out about them _last week_. I don't want them to hurt you Edward, not like my brother did to me," I cried quietly.

My brother James disowned me the day I began college. I'd started my first job at the age of thirteen, working twelve hours every weekend at the local Burger King. I'd completed my GED and sat all the necessary tests by the time I was fifteen and had moved on to waitressing at one of the best restaurants in the neighborhood, every night for six hours or longer. I'd saved almost all of the money I'd ever made, and moved out of home, on to college, living in the dorms and working two jobs while I attended my pre-med classes. It had been so hard, coping with studying, working as well as clinical experience, but I'd been so determined to become successful and help my little brother out of the hell hole that was our childhood. I'd sent him as much money as I could afford each month, which usually wasn't much. He had never written, never called, never given me any recognition that he had received my letters and money.

I'd aced my MCAT, and received an offer of a scholarship to John Hopkins at the end of my undergraduate degree for medical school. I'd finished Medical School at the age of twenty-three, one of the youngest graduates John Hopkins had ever had.

I'd managed to wrangle one weekend off during medical school and had made the trip home unannounced. My mother had been absent, my father, brother and his friend Laurent had been home all of them incredibly drunk. I hadn't been welcome. James had beaten me unconscious while Laurent and my father had ignored my screams of pain and pleas for help and cheered him on. When I'd come to, the tiny apartment had been empty, I'd collected my things, crawled outside bloody, beaten, broken and bruised, and made my way to the nearest hospital. A broken arm, three broken ribs and a cracked jaw. I had been shattered; my being permanently altered. The two people whom I'd loved most in the world had betrayed me the worst. Nightmares had erupted forth from the day after the incident. I had difficulty being around men. Eventually I had visited with a shrink, and she'd helped me through some of my issues.

I'd never returned home and never contacted my family since. They hadn't attended mine and Edward's wedding. They would never know my children. Yesterday, with Edward, was the first time in seven years that I'd walked into the apartment building that once housed my home. My family had apparently been evicted five years ago, but the landlord had allowed us entry.

I'd met Edward while I was doing my internship in a hospital he was considering taking over president of the Board of Trustees, a position he'd later turned down. We'd fallen in love; he'd courted me over the period of six months before asking me to be his girlfriend. Our relationship had been a bumpy road, full of ups and downs. It had taken me years to fully trust Edward, particularly to trust that he loved me and would never hurt me. I still had doubts now and then on particularly bad days, when the nightmares returned.

We'd married six months ago, after three years of Edward persuading me and begging me to become his wife and have his children. It had been a small quiet affair with our closest friends and Edward's parents. The wedding itself was beautiful, elegant and simple. So _us_. Both Edward and I had cried. Three months ago, I'd fallen pregnant. We were both ecstatic, of course, excited to become better parents than ours were and to love and spoil our child. Ours would be the most cherished baby in the entire world.

"Are you scared to meet them, Bella?" Edward inquired tenderly, cupping my face in his palms.

"Yes. Scared that she might not be the little sister you remember. Scared that she might hate you for buying your parents a nice apartment. Scared that she might condemn everything you've become and I love," I whimpered, searching his eyes as he gazed at me.

"Are you scared that she might change my mind? Is that what this is about? Sweetheart, there is no _me_ without you. There is nothing Rosalie could say that would drive me away from you. Nothing. I love you. I hope Rose accepts us into her family's life, but if she doesn't, I can understand that. I'll be disappointed, yes, but not so much that I'll become an alcoholic like your father and brother, not so much that I'll become addicted to heroin like my birth mother was, not so much that I'll smoke five packs of cigarettes a day like your mother. There is nothing in this world that will ever lead me to raise a hand to your or our baby," he promised vehemently, his hand sliding down to rest on my tiny baby bump. His fingers gently stroked my abdomen as his lips dipped down to capture mine in a sweet kiss.

"I love you so much," I mumbled, throwing my arms around his shoulders and burying my face in his strong, sculpted chest.

"I love you too, Bella. This is who I am now. You are my present and future. This was my past. We've been together six years. I'm hoping for at least another seventy happy years together. Okay, love?" he inquired, rubbing my back soothingly.

Sniffling back tears, I nodded my head up and down enthusiastically. His hand slipped into mine, giving it a gentle squeeze before leading us on down the dirt path. Many people stared out from behind grime covered windows at us as we made our way. I felt so out of place in my pretty summer dress and sandals, walking with Edward who was impeccably and handsomely dressed as per usual.

We stopped in front of a rusted out, faded yellow trailer. A slab of concrete painted yellow sat ostentatiously before the trailer with a scruffy picnic table placed on it. A stand alone, blackened barbeque grill sat to the left of the concrete, along with three metal garbage cans that were overflowing with rubbish. Crude wooden steps had been constructed, leading from the trailer door, down to the concrete slab. The grass surrounding the vehicle had all but died away, however the grass appeared to be trying to escape from underneath it.

There was a large, buff man with the beginnings of a small beer gut sitting outside of the home on a plastic lawn chair. I was surprised to see it held his weight without buckling. He had a beer in one hand and porno magazine in the other. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of once white flip-flops and a pair of green boxer-shorts; although his tan line made it obvious he usually dressed in a wife-beater. I cringed and hid my face in Edward's shoulder blade as the man slipped his hand into his pants. I heard laughing and taunts of their children before I saw them. The three of them couldn't have been any older than six. They were all fairly grubby, the youngest, only just toddling along, was crying, a Barbie doll with its head torn off clasped in her tiny fist. The man yelled out to them to shut the hell up as they tore past him.

The door to the trailer suddenly slammed open and a woman with a baby on her hip emerged. I could feel Edward tense as she teetered down the crude wooden steps and began yelling at her kids. She was wearing a cheetah print boob tube with a pair of cut-off denim booty shorts. On her feet were matching cheetah print heels. Her hair, that could have been a beautiful blonde, was styled in an ugly perm that seemed to be consuming her head in a mass of frizzy waves. Her face was quite beautiful, but hidden under many layers of caked on make-up. Her shockingly pink lips smacked together as she chewed a piece of green gum.

"Amber, Trixie, Billy! Get in here now and leave your father alone. Don't make me come out there and get you! I will smack your asses so hard you won't sit down for a week!" she screeched, one hand on hip.

"Rosie, chill baby. They aint that bad, they're just having some fun. I'll handle them if they make too much noise," the man added gruffly, his hand still down his pants, his eyes not leaving his magazine.

Rosalie simply narrowed her eyes on the man before rolling them dramatically.

"I swear to God, Emmett. All you think about is sex and alcohol. I bet you wouldn't even notice if your kids started killing each other!"

Edward cleared his throat noisily, gripping my hand a little tighter. Rosalie and Emmett glanced up at us, their gazes turning hateful and angry.

"Who the hell are you? What are you doing here? Are you both lost?" Rosalie demanded, picking her way across the dying grass to stand by Emmett's side. His hand slid out of his pants and he smacked her lightly on the ass, grinning up at her.

"I got a nice view of your ass, baby, don't move," he leered.

"Rose? It's me, Edward… your brother," Edward stated calmly.

The woman's eyes lit with recognition before turning murderous.

"How _dare_ you set foot on my property? You're such a little piece of shit. I can't believe you'd try something like this. I thought I told you I never wanted to see your face again?" Rose screamed. Emmett stood slowly and glanced from Rose, to Edward and then settled his gaze on me, a slow smile stretching across his face.

"Bells?" he asked.

My face went pale. Holy shit. It was Emmett. _Emmett, _Emmett. Emmett McCarty. He and I had done our bachelor's together, both of us wanting to go into medicine. We'd studied together on many late nights and had been good friends, nothing more. He'd always been quick to tell a joke to lighten the mood, and was probably the horniest guy I'd ever met. I hadn't seen him in years and I was surprised I didn't recognize him. I guess I just never expected to see someone as bright and intelligent as him in a trailer park.

"Em-Emmett McCarty?" I whispered, sliding out a little from behind Edward.

"Yeah, hey Bells. What have you been up to? I see life's treated you well." He laughed, waggling his eyebrows in Edward's direction.

"You _know_ this slut?" Rosalie hissed, turning to glare at Emmett. Edward stiffened, his jaw audibly snapping tightly shut.

"Do not talk about my _wife _in that manner!" Edward growled.

"Yeah, Rosie, come on. Bells aint a slut. Hell, I propositioned her enough and she never slept with me in college," Emmett shrugged. "We went on to different med schools, but I know she didn't sleep with anyone in college, so I doubt she somehow developed a wild sexual streak when she moved on to better things," he added, giving me a friendly wink.

"How did you end up here, Em?" I whispered, glancing around. Rosalie huffed at me and gave me a dirty glare.

"Six months ago they started making cuts at the hospital I worked at. I got laid off, with very little compensation. We had to move back here after we lost our house," he said sadly, giving Rose a little smile. "It was all we had left. I'm still looking for work, but it's been hard going."

I shuddered, thinking back to what Edward had said not ten minutes ago about the recession.

"I'm so sorry Em, that something like this happened to you," I voiced quietly, noticing the three kids were standing behind their father's legs. Taking a closer look, I realized they were wearing nice clothing, probably designer wear... Emmett's boxer-shorts were Emporio Armani, and Rosalie's tacky heels were actually Jimmy Choo pumps.

Appearances were deceiving.

"So Bells, who's this guy you're with?" Emmett prompted, scratching his chest distractedly, now staring at Edward.

"Uh, my husband, Edward. He's Rosalie's brother," I gulped nervously.

"Huh, Rosie, you never mentioned you had a brother."

"Half brother, and that's because I don't. He abandoned us all while he went off to college! Once he started making some money he never looked back to his poor family," she vented. Half brother?

"Rose, that's not true, I helped Mom and Dad get back on their feet. You haven't spoken to them in nearly eight years! When I tried to contact you, you wouldn't reply to any of my letters or emails, or answer any of my phone calls! I invited you to our wedding and you sent the invitation back! Who abandoned who, here?" Edward yelled, exasperatedly throwing his hands up in the air. Well, that's a little bit of new information. I had had no idea he'd tried to contact her previously.

"How about we all take this inside, huh? I can throw some clothes on and we can discuss this all like civilized adults," Emmett requested, ushering the kids inside before following them in. Edward took my hand firmly and helped me in, Rosalie taking up the rear.

We all sat down at the tiny kitchen table, the kids sitting down on the large bed down the other end of the trailer, turning on the small television. Emmett had pulled on a pair of jeans and was sipping on a glass of water.

"Let's start from the beginning. Edward, you're Rosie's half brother, correct?" Emmett wondered.

"Yes, my mother, Elizabeth, married Carlisle when she was very young, and they had me. She was addicted to heroin and died when I was two years old. When I was four, Carlisle remarried Esme. We were pretty poor growing up, but never unhappy. We all loved each other and got a long fine with what we had. A year later Rose was born and we continued on as a happy family. When I received a scholarship to attend the University of Chicago, I jumped at the chance to improve all of our lives. When I came back after finishing my Masters in Business, Rose had left home and barely kept in contact with our parents. I started sending them money and searching for my baby sister, never to find her. Bella and I decided to visit our childhood homes, and imagine my surprise when I discovered my sister was living in the same trailer we had as kids," Edward exclaimed, sitting back against the cracked vinyl seat, his lips pressing together into a thin line. His arm slid around my shoulders, his fingers toying with my loose curls.

"You came back?" Rosalie whispered.

"Of course I did. I didn't forget my family Rosalie. We had a pretty good childhood, all things considered. I love you, Rose, you're my sister and I've never forgotten that," Edward sighed quietly. "I'd like to help you out, both of you. I can help you guys get out of this place, into a house or apartment. I'm sure Bella can assist Emmett in finding a job; her hospital always seems to be on the lookout for doctors. I can help you start your own business Rose if you like. I know you always wanted to open up a childcare facility." I could hear the hope in Edward's voice; see it shinning on his face. Rose and Emmett were both already shaking their heads, however, and my heart broke with my husband's.

"I'm sorry, Edward. That's a very generous offer, but not one we can accept. Something will come along eventually; I actually have a job interview in a couple of hours. It was really nice meeting you Edward, and seeing Bella again. You guys can visit another time, for sure, but I think both Rosie and I need to rap our heads around this for the moment," Emmett dismissed us easily, one of his fists clenched, and a forced smile on his face.

Edward sat frozen still for a long minute, until I tugged on his shirt.

"Come-on, Edward. It's time to go," I murmured lightly, standing and dragging him up with me.

"Don't run from me again, Rose, please. I'd love to get to know my sister again and my brother-in-law, not to mention my nieces and nephews," Edward begged, his eyes glued to the dirty floor before he turned and escaped outside quickly. I gave Rosalie and Emmett a small smile before running after my husband.

He was already three trailers up by the time I made it down the steps.

"Edward! Edward wait up!" I pleaded, he stopped instantly and turned, walking back to me until I caught up with him.

"Sorry love, I just couldn't be there any longer. She doesn't want me or my help, she never has," he said dejectedly.

I pressed my lips to his, kissing him softly before wrapping my arm around his waist, nudging him forward.

"I think, Edward, that they both might be a little too proud to accept what you're offering them at the moment. Or maybe they believe it's too good to be true. Try again in a month and see if their response changes. Don't give up just yet," I offered comfortingly.

I felt his lips brush against my temple a second before his arm wrapped around my shoulders. He slowed to a stop and pulled me into a tight embrace, resting his chin on top of my head.

"I love you, Bella. I'm thankful everyday that I have you in my life. Let's go home, love. I want to show you how much I love you," he whispered seductively, shifting a little so that he could sensuously trail kisses down my throat and along the top of my breasts.

I nodded silently, my body shivering in anticipation against his. Making love with Edward was one of the best experiences in my life. He was sweet and sexy and giving. He could be playful or demanding or loving. He treated me like a princess and spoilt me rotten in the bedroom. My fingers sunk into his hair, tilting his head backwards so I could capture his lips with mine. I felt his hands glide down my back until they gripped my ass, squeezing and kneading my cheeks gently. Moaning into his mouth, I whimpered his name as he pulled away.

"Not here, love. C'mon, sweetheart." We made our way out of the trailer park, Edward assisting me into the car before jogging around to the driver's side.

The ride home was done so in a comfortable quiet, our hand linked together, settled in his lap as he drove us the fifty-five minutes to our traditional limestone mansion in East Lincoln Park. He pulled into the garage, and climbed out. I watched him as he moved around the car, pausing outside to open my door. His hand extended to me, I took his hand and smiled up at him as he helped me out. As soon as the door was shut and the car locked, his arms were around me, pulling me against his chest as he kissed me thoroughly. He only drew away once I was panting and writhing against his body. Without warning, one of his arms dropped down behind my knees and he swept me up into his arms. He cradled me against his chest as he climbed the steps into the house and walked down the hallway, past the living room, kitchen, family room to the mahogany staircase.

Edward carried me straight up to our bedroom, sliding me carefully and reverently onto the satin bed cover and followed me down instantly. His warm body covered mine, his tender gaze meeting my eyes as his lips caressed mine lovingly. I inhaled sharply as his tongue darted across my lips and easily gained access, dancing sinuously with my own tongue. The only sounds in the house were our soft breaths and moans and the rustling of our clothes. I smiled at him as he sat back on his haunches, staring down at me lovingly. The sun shining in through our large bay windows illuminated his gorgeous bronze hair, making him appear like an angel.

"I'm so lucky to have found you," I murmured, sighing as I took him in. He'd only grown more gorgeous over the years I'd known him.

"I'm the lucky one. I don't deserve someone as wonderful as you," he whispered, his hand reaching out to cup my cheek, the pad of his thumb softly smoothing across my skin.

"Oh, Edward," I mumbled, tears prickling my eyes.

We smiled together as one of his hands rested lightly against my tummy, me losing the battle with my tears as they trickled down my face. He stood up beside the bed, toeing his shoes and socks off and unbuttoning the first few buttons on his shirt before sitting down beside me. His head dipped and his mouth lovingly brushed kisses along my abdomen as his hands moved up to softly caress the undersides of my breasts through the cotton material of my dress.

"You've given me two of the greatest gifts in life. Your love and now our child. Do you understand how much you mean to me? Promise me you won't ever leave me Bella, please," Edward asked desperately.

"I promise, Edward. I love you, forever. I'm not going anywhere," I assured him, running my fingers through his silky locks as he rested his forehead on my tummy. He'd mentioned to me before, his fear of being abandoned, of being left all alone in the world. I hadn't realized before that it had to do with not being able to find his sister, or contact her once he had. I bet she didn't even realize the damage she'd done to her older brother by disappearing like she had.

His body shifted as he crawled over me, settling between my thighs. I groaned into his mouth as he greedily kissed me, one of his hands fisting in my hair as his groin rubbed against mine. My eyes fluttered closed as we continued to kiss and move against each other. I could feel the dampness of my panties; feel the hardness of his throbbing cock pressing against me. Edward's hands soon found my breasts once more, gently kneading them and playing with my nipples.

His hands shortly moved to the hem of my dress, lifting it up, over my body and off. I felt his eyes trace my curves hungrily, lingering on my naked breasts and my cute white lacey panties, before he was moving backwards and slipping my shoes off of my feet. He massaged them both delightfully, working out any of the soreness I had and shooting tingles of pleasure straight up to my happy place.

I sat up once he began massaging my calves and pushed him down onto his back, my fingers quickly undoing the buttons on his shirt and pushing it open so I could view his toned, smooth chest. I glided my palm over his abdomen that still displayed a delicious six pack, over his ribcage and pectorals and back down again. My mouth soon followed my hands exploration, my tongue tracing the lines of his muscles, my lips kissing and teasing his skin. I lightly grazed his nipples with my teeth and smiled at the groan I drew from him.

Suddenly he flipped me over onto my back, shrugging his shirt off and throwing it across the room. His belt wasn't far behind. His hands and mouth set to work, exploring my body in much the same manner as I had explored his. My wanton moans and whimpers only egged him on and quite quickly I was on the brink, ready to explode. His fingers were tracing along my lower lips, the fabric of my panties rubbing against my swollen flesh providing a satisfying friction. Once his lips closed over one of my nipples and sucked sharply, I was flying, chanting his name as I exploded with pleasure.

Panting as I came down, my skin covered in a fine sheen of sweat, I observed him languidly as he stripped out of his dark jeans and slowly peeled my panties down and off my legs. I giggled when he glanced at me with a wicked gleam in his eyes. Kneeling between my knees, he spread my legs further apart as he settled his shoulders between my thighs and angled my hips upward with his hands on my ass.

"Edward you don't hav– oh!" I exhaled sharply at the first swipe of his tongue along my centre. He chuckled against me, drawing a deep moan from my chest.

"I know, love, but I love tasting you and worshiping you like this," he breathed against me, driving me slowly insane. "I thought you'd realized that by now."

"Please," I cried, my hands pulling his head closer to me as my hips bucked forward. He tasted me again and chuckled as my thighs clamped around his head. This was torture, but oh, what a way to go. He nibbled on my clit very delicately before kissing me and thrusting his tongue inside me as far as he could, over and over. I was climbing higher and higher again, when suddenly his tongue was replaced with two fingers and he suckled lightly on my clit. A white light burst behind my eyelids as I came abruptly, crying out loudly. My body went lax as I came down, Edward gently stroking my tummy and thighs.

When I regained control of my breathing, his body settled on top of mine, his lips kissing my neck tenderly, before they moved to my lips. My hands skimmed over his back, holding him to me as his cock rubbed against my warmth.

"Are you ready, my Bella?" he wondered, his nose rubbing against mine as he smiled and pressed his lips to mine briefly.

"Oh yes, Edward, please," I begged unashamedly. I just wanted to feel him buried deep inside me, to reassure me once again that he was real, alive, and all mine.

He slowly pressed into me until he was fully immersed inside me, stretching me to perfection, filling me only as he could.

"Oh Bella, fuck, you're always so tight. You always feel so good," he muttered against my lips as he drew back and drove back into me.

"Edward," I whispered, meeting his slow, measured thrusts. We rocked together slowly, our pleasure building together. His hands shifted my hips upward and he sunk in a little deeper, rubbing against that place inside me that drove me wild. Our tongues tangled together passionately as my legs wrapped up around his waist and his thrusts started to speed up. His grip on my hips tightened, holding my body against his as he sat back on his knees, staying within me as he drew me onto his lap. I hardly missed a thrust, and I continued rocking against him as he plunged into me, his hands moving over my sensitive skin, heightening my pleasure. I ground my clit against his pubic bone, reveling in the feeling of him inside me and surrounding me, loving me so thoroughly.

"I'll never abandon you, ever. Seeing the trailer today… made me realize how much I value you and our life together. Even if we did lose everything, it wouldn't matter as long as I had you by my side," he murmured raggedly between panted breaths. "I love you, Isabella."

Hearing my name leave his lips was the final trigger to send me crashing over the edge again. My walls clamped around him, my hips wildly bucking against his. I felt him pulsating between my thighs a beat later, as he groaned out my name. We fell exhaustedly onto the sheets in a tangled embrace, the occasional shudder racking our bodies.

"I love you too, Edward," I said, my words echoing around the almost silent room as I curled up against his chest.

We remained silent for quite a while, simply sharing in our intimacy. Eventually Edward threw the sheet over our cooling bodies and drew me even closer.

"I wish… I wish she had of welcomed me with open arms. I didn't realize she held so much animosity towards me," he admitted.

"I know, Edward. She might still come around," I reassured him, my lips lightly kissing his chest.

"She has four kids… that I might never know, that may never call me Uncle Edward," he observed sadly. I nodded and held him tighter. "If I had never left, maybe things would be better."

"Probably you would have never met me," I whimpered, not being able to bear the thought of my life without him in it.

"Then I wouldn't change a thing. Is it really so much to want _all_ of my family to live full, happy and healthy lives?" he inquired almost rhetorically.

"I don't think so, but we can't always get what we want, Edward. We have each other, our health, this house; we both have successful careers, and we have a child on the way. So much to be thankful for," I smiled as I spoke.

"Indeed, love."

The next two weeks passed by slowly, with Edward almost moping about whenever we were home. Every time the phone rang, he practically pounced on it. By the end of the second week, I was starting to get worried he was slipping into a depression. He was so troubled, all the time. It couldn't be healthy for him. When he pulled out a photo album and started showing me pictures of him in his youth, and making comments about how pretty Rose looked, or how happy she was, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands, so to speak.

That's how I found myself the following Saturday driving back to the small trailer park alone. I parked the car outside of the ominous barbed wire fence and walked down the dirt path, my stride determined as I made my way to the familiar faded yellow trailer. No one was outside today; the weather was rather grim and overcast.

I knocked on the trailer door gently and stood back, waiting for the door to swing open. Sure enough, not ten seconds later it did, and I was face to face with Rosalie.

"Oh. You. What do you want?" she groused, turning and moving back inside, leaving the door open in what I assumed was an invitation inside.

"I came to talk to you, actually," I revealed calmly.

I smiled when I spotted Emmett and the kids all huddled up on the bed, watching television together.

"What could you possibly have to say to me?"

"I want you to reconsider Edward's offer," I stated simply.

"Maybe when pigs fly," she snapped.

"Look, Rosalie. I'm not your enemy, and Edward sure as hell isn't either. I know exactly where you're coming from, believe me. I know how much it hurts to think the ones you love have abandoned you. Edward didn't abandon you; he feels you abandoned him and he's beating himself up over the fact that if he didn't go to college, maybe you'd let him be a part of your life," I informed her.

Her eyes simply narrowed.

"How the hell could someone like _you_ know where I was coming from?" she sneered.

"You'd be surprised, it took me a long time to get to where I am today," I remarked indifferently. I didn't feel like sharing my past with Rose; Edward was the only person who really knew the entire story, and it was staying that way.

"Hmph. Well, say what you came to say and get out," she ordered brusquely.

"Edward loves you Rosalie. You're his baby sister and he always will love you, simply because of that fact. All he wants is to see you happy and healthy. So what if accepting his help puts a dint in your pride? It's a small price to pay for ensuring your children grow up safe and happy in a good environment. He already loves them too, even though he thinks he'll never get a chance to be their uncle. Not to mention he's disappointed they'll never get to meet their cousin," I mentioned, my hands moving to rest lightly on my tummy. Rosalie's eyes widened as she stared at my hands for several beats, almost looking like she wanted to reach out and touch me. "I really think you should consider his generous offer, if not for yourself, then definitely for your children," I finished softly, letting my hands drop to my side and shifting back towards the door. "I do hope you reconsider, he's been waiting anxiously for your call," I said, waving a shy goodbye as I slipped out of the trailer and quickly walked back to the car.

By the time I'd made it home, I still wasn't sure if what I'd done was the right thing. I crept into the house and made my way room to room until finally finding Edward in our bedroom, still sleeping. I guess it was only ten in the morning, but he usually didn't sleep so late.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I gazed at him, brushing the hair that had fallen in front of his eyes away from his face. He looked so very young for a thirty-one year old… and I felt so very old for my twenty nine years. I kicked off my flip flops and curled up beside him, tucking my head under his chin as I dozed off, easily falling asleep after my early and eventful morning.

I startled awake an hour or two later, to the sound of loud knocking and the door bell singing.

"Love?" Edward mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Someone's at the door," I answered, biting back my smile as I inspected his tussled hair. It was sticking up adorably in all directions. Edward crawled over me, giving me a lazy kiss, and stumbled down stairs, shirtless, wearing only a pair of pajama pants. I followed at a much slower rate, making sure my hair wasn't sticking up crazily, and that my clothes were on right. My jaw practically dropped open when I saw just who was waiting at the door. Rose, Emmett and their children stood there. Edward looked like someone had slapped him across the face.

"Rose?" he whispered hoarsely. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly.

"We'd like to take you up on your offer, Eddie. I don't want my kids growing up in the trailer like we did. Is the offer still open?" she asked, sniffling as she pulled back from his shoulder.

"Of course it is Rose. Welcome home, little sis."

_Finis. _


End file.
